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The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has launched a new initiative to fight against rhino poaching. Speaking at the launch of the initiative, which coincided with the commemoration of the World Rhino Day hosted at Okaukejo over the weekend, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta said Namibia has the second-largest white Rhino population in the world after South Africa and the largest population of black Rhinos in the world. However, Shifeta said that rhinos have become an endangered species, and, in some areas, they have even become extinct…

Rhino populations are being hammered by poachers, steeping Africa in blood and pushing the species ever-closer to extinction to satisfy the demand for rhino horn in Vietnam and other countries - a demand largely based on the myth of the non-existent medicinal properties of rhino horn. For the record, rhino horn is entirely composed of keratin, also the chief component in hair, nails and animal hooves; you’ve as much chance of curing cancer by biting your nails as you have by drinking powdered rhino horn.

It's clear why the illegal wildlife trade exists. Where there's consumer demand for products from endangered species, there are bound to be networks seeking to profit from that demand. But what about the motivations of individual offenders? TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade NGO, decided to simply ask them. The researchers interviewed 73 people in South African correctional centers, who had been convicted of crimes related to rhinos, abalone, or cycads (ancient palm-like plants that have been called "the world's most endangered plants").